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Finn has chance to reignite England career in Fourth Test

| 04.08.2014

Having lost form so comprehensibly in Australia during England’s nightmare Ashes tour, Steven Finn was branded unselectable by the powers that be at the time and returned home early.

Now, after Liam Plunkett was ruled out of the Fourth Test with India at Old Trafford, the beanpole quick has been welcomed back into the fold by being included in a 13-man squad for the five-day match.

Having taken 90 wickets in 23 Tests, Finn was once described as the most promising young fast bowler in the country, but constant tinkering with his bowling mechanics saw him lose all form and confidence.

The Middlesex man last played a Test match back in the summer of 2013, in the Trent Bridge Test of last year’s home Ashes, but has since collected 44 County Championship scalps at an average of 29.72.

That haul is the fourth-best record in Division One and indicates that the 25-year-old is making moves in the right direction to kick starting his England career once again.

Having enjoyed near total domination in the Third Test at the Rose Bowl to level the series, England will be looking to build on the return to form of their senior stars to take a 2-1 lead over India with a game to go.

Ladbrokes rate England as 6/4 chances to achieve that goal, with the draw 5/4 and an Indian victory a 10/3 betting opportunity.

The decision to recall Finn also offers a slim international lifeline to another discarded quick, as the Middlesex bowler’s call up to the senior side opened a space in the recently announced England Lions party to play a triangular one-day series with New Zealand and Sri Lana A.

Boyd Rankin is the man to fill that gap, with the opportunity to rekindle a Test career that so far reads as one meltdown match in Sydney this winter.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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Author

Matt Wiggins

No idyllic sound comes close to leather on willow for Matt, whose previous experience includes stints with Spin Magazine and Surrey County Cricket Club. It's not just cricket that interests him though, with football, golf, tennis and any American sport not played on ice all high on his list of favourites.